The Hellish Handbasket

In recognition of my need to increase my income, last week I applied to a local home improvement box store to work as a part-time merchandis...

I rarely cry. I'm not prone to sobbing. When I do cry, though, to avoid prolonged sinus congestion, I try to get all my angst and sorrow...

The sewer construction recommenced at 7:00 a.m. this morning, ten yards outside my back door. A cacophony of gerunds ensued: banging, grumbl...

On Monday night I caught a cold. I don't remember the last time I had a cold. I had forgotten the misery generated by the drip, the scra...

Last weekend, four out-of-town friends came to Portland for a reunion. We were a small group, just six in all. Two locals served as drivers;...

I'm learning Spanish in preparation for moving to the desert.  Está  nublado y oscuro en mi cabeza hoy . On the dark side: Children deli...

I visit Mom every evening. Before I go out the door, I do what I can to ensure the place will be standing when I return. Is the heater off? ...

My mother's insurance company sends a nurse to visit Mom annually. I've sat in on several of these house calls. Yesterday Sherrie ar...

Howdy, Blogbots. How's it going? How are you doing on your end-of-life plans? Oh, you don't have any? Good for you, you eternal opti...

It's finally spring here in Portland, which means the east wind howls through bare branches, clouds roll over unexpectedly, and the temp...

In summer 1977, I was an immature twenty-year-old, recently flown the nest in favor of sunny Los Angeles to find my fortune among the stars ...

After a day of snow flurries and House Oversight Committee testimony, I'm ready for spring. Mom and I agree, it's time for winter to...

We all know how the story ends. In the movies, the hero's loved one declares faith in the hero's capacity to overcome obstacles and ...

Winter finally arrived, only a month late. Snow is on the way! Yesterday, in anticipation of Snowmageddon, Portlanders swarmed the grocery s...

I sit at my worktable with my stockinged feet ensconced in a polyester fleece pillowcase containing two socks filled with cheap rice that ...

Balmy temps (50°F) have inspired me to open a window to air out the accumulated housitosis consisting of body odor, burnt onions, unvacuumed...

The cat materializes out of nowhere as soon as I sit down to blog. I assume he has some ideas about what I should write. Or else there is a ...